The Carolina Hurricanes (35-24-5) and Philadelphia Flyers (39-20-7) tangle at Wells Fargo Center at 7 p.m. ET Thursday. We analyze the Hurricanes-Flyers sports betting odds and lines, with NHL matchup analysis, picks and tips.
Hurricanes at Flyers: Projected starting goalies
Alex Nedeljkovic vs. Carter Hart
Nedeljkovic and Anton Forsberg are holding down the fort while James Reimer and Petr Mrazek are injured. The Calder Cup-winning goalie Nedeljkovic is 0-1-1 with a 3.11 goals against average and .857 save percentage in his one start and two appearances so far.
Hart missed about a month due to a lower-body injury, but he is still an impressive 22-12-3 with a 2.51 GAA and .909 SV% in his 37 starts and three relief appearances. He allowed one goal on 34 shots in his only appearance against the Hurricanes in a Nov. 5 win.
Place a sports bet on this hockey action or other games at BetMGM.
Hurricanes at Flyers: Odds, picks and betting tips
Odds courtesy of BetMGM; access them at USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 10:15 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Flyers 4, Hurricanes 2
Moneyline (ML)
The FLYERS (-150) are moderate favorites over the Hurricanes (+125). The Fly Guys have been on fire lately, winning 16 of their past 21 games, while winning five straight inside the Metropolitan Division with victories in four in a row against winning teams. They’re also 20-7 in their past 27 as a favorite while going 19-7 in their past 26 at home.
The ‘Canes are skidding, winning just once in their past five contests while going 4-12 in their past 16 inside the Metropolitan Division.
Puck Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
The FLYERS (-1.5, +180) are worth a small-unit bet against the skidding Hurricanes, mainly because both Forsberg and Nedeljkovic have struggled between the pipes for Carolina. Philly is red-hot and the good times should continue to roll.
Over/Under (O/U)
AVOID. The lean would be to the Under 6.5 (-154), but I choose not to play that kind of juice on totals, and if you go for Under 5.5 (+135), that’s a bit low. All of the trends in this series point to the Over.
Want some action on this matchup? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.
Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=2059]